Friends of Sonoita Creek was established in 2004. The mission of FoSC is to restore and protect the Sonoita Creek Watershed in southeastern Arizona through education, environmental monitoring and advocacy of the biodiversity and heath of the region. The approximate 280 square miles of the Sonoita Creek Watershed encompasses seven diverse biomes with tributaries supporting the partial perennial 39 miles of Sonoita Creek. It is a popular spot for camping, hiking, biking and birdwatching. FoSC conducts surface springs and streams and ground water monitoring monthly. Wet/dry mapping and steam water samples are conducted quarterly. An annual assessment of the health of the Sonoita Creek Riparian Ecosystem is done annually.
FoSC board members gather at the Audubon Paton Center to demonstrate their projects. Photo: Friends of Sonoita Creek
The organization is an all-volunteer 501c3. FoSC is currrently completing a drought preparation plan funded by the University of Arizona Water Resources Research Center, consulting with Santa Cruz County on flood diversion projects, and convening a working group to create an active management area for the Cienega groundwater basin. Since 2008, FoSC has led a Healthy Water program teaching middle and high school students in Santa Cruz County public schools how to test for pH, dissolved oxygen, temperature and turbidity in samples of creek water, using scientific tools.
Students in 5th through 8th grade take water samples and determine water quality. Photo: Kathy Pasierb